Car-coupling



Patented June 9, 1896.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrica.

FRANK G. KAMMERER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,895, dated June1896- Application filed April 2, 1896. Serial No- 585,940. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK G. KAMMERER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, int-he county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to carcouplers, and particularly to acombined knuckle and coupling-pin for automatic carco'uplers of the.lanney type, and it has for its object to provide a simple, durable,and inexpensive article adapted to serve the double purpose of ahinge-pin for the knuckle and a c0upling-pin for the link; and itconsists of the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a front elevation of car-coupler provided with improved pin;Fig. 2, a detail sectional view of a portion of the draw-head and pin;and Fig. 3, a side elevation of a draw-head, showing the pin in itsuncoupled position.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throu ghout the several views.

In the drawings is rcpresen ted a draw'head and the knuckle of anautomatic car-coupler of the Janney type. In this type of coupler alatch is usually employed to lock the tailpiece of the knuckle back inthe draw-head and the knuckle is secured between the perforated lugs ofone jaw of the draw-head by a pin, on which the knuckle is free toswing. lleretofore it has been customary in order to adapt this type ofcoupler to couple with a link-and-pin coupling (a dutywhich it isfrequently called upon to perform) to form a recess or slot in the edgeof the knuckle to re ccive a link and to perforate the knuckle on avertical line intersecting the recess or slot to receive a coupling pinwhich extends through the link and secures the same in place, thusforming a coupling between cars provided with the different styles ortypes of couplers named.

in practice it is found that the forming of the perforation for the pinin the knuckle weakens the same and renders it liable to be easilybroken through by the sudden and violent jerks of the link on the pinincident to the movement of the cars while in use, and such liability toeasily break being greater in the event of the pin not passing fullythrough the perforation.

Now it is the object of my invention to obviate the liability offracture of the knuckle of an automatic car'coupler when coupled to alink by a pin, and l accomplish this object by providing in a singlepiece a combined knuckle-pin and coupling -pin adapted to form thehinge-pin by which the knuckle is secured in the draw-head and to enterbehind the same between its inner face and the draw-head and extenddownward past the slot in the edge of the knuckle.

In the drawings, A represents the drawhcad, B the knuckle having theslot a in its edge, and C the latch employed to lock the tailpiece ofthe knuckle back in the drawhead, all of which may be of the usual ordesired style,

D represents my combined knuckle-pin and coupling-pin made of a singlepiece or bar of metal bent at right angles, as at 12, and thendownwardly, as at 0, parallel to its other end, (I. The end (:1 of thebar is in practice preferably made longer than the end 0, and is inserted through the lugs e of the draw-head and through the knuckle and,if found neccssary,secured against accidental entire withdrawal by acotter or key inserted through a perforation in its lower end. The end 0preferably extends but a short distance beyond the lower or bottom edgeof the slot a, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to secure afirm bearing on the inner face of the knuckle and, with the link inplace, the strain comes on the knuckle, as is usual; but the wholethickness and entire depth of the knuckle is utilized in receiving andresisting the strain instead of but a fraction thereof, as is the casewhere the coupling-pin extends through a perforation in the knuckle.

The combined pin is provided with an eye or ring f, whereby it may beeasily raised, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to release a link,and may then be swung or turned and dropped into the position shown inFig. in rear or to one side of the draw-head, where it is out of theway. To make a coupling, the

link is inserted through the slot a of the knuckle and the combined pinraised and swung around till its end 0 is past the knuckle, when it isdropped through the link.

Then the pinis in its uncoupled position or not in use, it may bedesirable to insure its retention in the position shown in Fig. 3, inwhich case Iform a recess g, (see Fig. 2,) extending rearwardly from theknuckle pin opening in the top of the draw-head and a short projection hon the pin adapted to enter said recess 9, and thereby prevent theaccidental swinging or turning of the pin.

Among the advantages of m y invention over the loose pin it will beobserved that it provides for the pin always being at hand when needed,and that owing to its location when in use it reduces the slack olf thelink and renders unnecessary the use of extra pins or blocks for thispurpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with an automatic carcoupler having a swingingknuckle, of a combined hinge or pivot pin and coupling-pin comprisingtwo members one of which forms the hinge or pivot pin for the knuckleand the other the coupling-pin for a link, substantially as described.

2. A combined hinge or knuckle pin an d coupling-pin for automaticcar-couplers having a swinging knuckle, consisting of a single barbentupon itself and adapted to be raised and swung in a circle and providedwith means for h oldin g it in its uncoupled position. substantially asdescribed.

The combination, with an automatic carcoupler having a swinging knuckle,of a combined hinge or knuckle pin and coupling-pin comprising twomembers one of which forms the pivot-pin for the knuckle and the otherbeing adapted to enter between the front edge or wall of the draw-headand the knuckle. substantially as described.

4;. The combination, with an automatic can coupler having a swingingknuckle, of a combined hinge or pivot pin and coupling-pin comprisingtwo parallel members one of which forms the hinge or pivot pin for theknuckle and the other a coupling-pin for a link, and means for retainingthe coupling-pin in its u ncoupled position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK G. KAHHERER.

\Vitnesses:

W. A. REDMOND, .T. If. BEALE.

